Petition calling for Brixton Academy to keep licence hits 100,000 signatures
The venue has been closed since a fatal crush there in December
More than 100,000 people have signed a petition calling for the Brixton Academy not to have its licence permanently withdrawn.
The venue has been shut since mum-of two Rebecca Ikumelo and security contractor Gaby Hutchinson died after crushing there in December.
Police have urged Lambeth Council, who are currently reviewing the licence, to revoke it.
Stuart O'Brien, who launched the petition to save the venue, said: “No one should go to a gig and never come home, at the end of the day it’s right that it’s closed for now.
“But it shouldn’t necessarily be the end of it the venue, things like this have happened in other places before and they’ve not gone straight to closing it down.
“Football stadiums have had incidents in the past and they’ve reformed and made things better so it doesn’t happen again and I think that’s what needs to happen here.”
He described that the loss of the music venue would have significant negative cultural and economic impact, adding: “That loss of revenue – every time there’s a gig there 5,000 go through – so that’s a big footfall from the area missing.”
The petition is now also being supported by the Night Time Industries Association.